


The Ending He Didn't Expect

by CrescentViolett



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Alternate Canon, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon-Typical Violence, Confessions, Gen, Hopeful Ending, Mentioned Annette Fantine Dominic, Mentioned Ashe Duran | Ashe Ubert, Mentioned Dorothea Arnault, Mentioned Felix Hugo Fraldarius, Mentioned Ingrid Brandl Galatea, Mentioned Mercedes von Martritz, Mentioned Sylvain Jose Gautier, Minor Annette Fantine Dominic/Mercedes von Martritz, Other, Post-Time Skip, War
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-13
Updated: 2020-12-13
Packaged: 2021-03-11 01:22:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,906
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28056837
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CrescentViolett/pseuds/CrescentViolett
Summary: As Edelgard corners Dimitri on the Tailtean Plains, she stops her assault and asks Dimitri to listen to him. She asks him to join her in her battle against the church, or kill her right on the spot. May no more human blood be shed, only that of the beast. What will Dimitri choose?
Comments: 1
Kudos: 7
Collections: Step By Step: A Dimitri & Edelgard Siblings Zine





	The Ending He Didn't Expect

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for cy (@possiblevoid) and Xygdrasil for beta-reading this for me!! I swear it looks so much better with betas hhh  
> Anyway, hope you enjoy!

Blood hurtled through her veins as the screams of dying soldiers entered her ears once more. She had blocked them out while trying to reach the King, but as his faithful bodyguards stood before him like an iron shield, she could do little else than cut them down to get through.

As her lungs burned trying to feed her muscles oxygen, she let out a howling scream, paralysing a few soldiers so she could push them aside to get closer to the one she had actually come for.

The King of Faerghus stood high and mighty on a platform, a shrine for the Goddess, protecting him with her divine power so he could outlast any normal human being. His strength was unmatched, and the blood of his fallen victims gleamed in the faint sunlight off his spear.

As he saw the Emperor coming closer he stopped his onslaught, instead focusing on who he deemed responsible for the situation he was in. Her piercing scream reached his ears, making him fire up even more and answer back with a question screamed at the top of his lungs.

"Why, Edelgard?! Why must you continue this madness of bloodshed! Your future will be built on corpses and lies, you will fade away before you will ever see the fruits of your labour!"

Edelgard placed one foot firmly on the steps towards the King, head held high as she heard his almost desperate plea. "You know the church has wasted more blood than I could in an entire lifetime. You know who caused the Tragedy of Duscur, who caused the pain I had to go through myself! Never would I wish other people to go through the same, you - of all the people in Fódlan - should know that better than any other!"

Her words stung to him, but he couldn't let down his guard so easily. This was Edelgard, his stepsister that had deceived him for months, years even, only for her own gain. Her continued survival threatened the very existence of Fódlan.

"I might, but I can't afford to stand down." She saw him gripping his spear tighter as he spoke, placing his feet so they faced Edelgard directly.

"Then so be it." The words that left her mouth came out as little more than a whisper, her opponent unable to hear her last words before she ran up the steps, holding her axe to her left and low to the ground before she swung it upward with all her might.

Dimitri stepped backwards and readied his spear, before realising Edelgard had turned her axe halfway through the air to let it fall back down. He braced himself, spear held up high to deflect the blow and making it slide from his spear firmly into the ground.

He saw the Emperor struggle with her axe and thrusted his spear forward as a response, but Edelgard's reflexes had not dulled over the years; she had let go of her axe in an instant, instead grabbing Dimitri's spear as she deftly dodged it and pulled it. The King followed his spear towards her, and while he saw her arm rising up to his face he couldn't stop her. A fistful of metal punched him square in the face, disorientating him as his head turned away from the blow. He let go of his spear instantly, grabbing his head as he tried to focus back on the battle.

Dimitri saw his spear lifted up from the ground, the blunt end soon stabbed into his chest. He stumbled backwards, falling onto the ground as his body tried to subdue the amount of pain coming from his lungs after the hit.

His breathing was shallow as he looked up, the red colours of the Emperor's robes blurring together before his eyes could settle on it. Two different colours of red were splattered over her outfit - the dark colour of blood, and the light colour of roses. The latter of which he could see somewhere else, on the object that she held firmly in her hand.

His own spear was pointed directly at him, and the person behind it had dark shadows cast over her face, the horns on top gleaming in the sun like those of a ram – sharp and ready to kill.

"Well." His voice sounded rattled as he tried to hold his head up. "End it then!"

But the shadows that were cast over the Emperor's eyes disappeared, the faint light of the sun making her eyes glow a soft lilac. She pressed the spear against herself for a moment before throwing it away from the both of them, the clattering of metal barely heard over the screams of both armies.

It was as if everyone had decided to leave them to their own battle as the two armies clashed right outside the shrine.

Edelgard grit her teeth, tears welling up in her eyes as she tried to swallow her words. She knew that if she started she would never stop talking. Instead, one tear dropped over her cheek, the salty water prickling skin covered in the ashes of war.

"I won't." She didn't know how she meant those words at first - won't end the war, or won't end his life? But as the mighty King of Faerghus stood up from his place she had made up her mind.

He felt his chest rising and falling rapidly, his breaths sounding ragged in his ears. Her swift strike had been so powerful it had almost made a dent in his armour, and the blow left a painful sting as he rose up. He stood before her now, both without weapons, one clearly at an advantage.

Dimitri readied his stance, now with fists up to prepare for Edelgard's blows. Edelgard was as quick and sure-footed as a cat, but Dimitri could outlast her any day with his crest given strength. He had never wanted to admit it, but one aspect of Felix's most used nickname for him was correct: he was a boar in terms of power, able to crush opponents down to the ground with his strength. His heart stung as he thought about that stupid name - many had left him after those five years. Whether they sided with Edelgard right away or left him later, it did not matter.

So while he could end the war right there, who was to say it ended with the Emperor alone? His former friends would surely avenge her, coming for him to finally strike him down after so many years. Dimitri looked at the woman in front of him and could see the determination in her eyes. She stood fiercely before him, not a grain of fear inside her body. The only one brave enough to stop her now had to be death itself.

His stature faltered, shoulders losing tension as he lowered his hands slightly. "Just do it."

In one quick motion, Edelgard’s hand slid inside her pocket, something shining in her hand as she ran towards him. As he realised what was coming for him he backed off instantly, hands held up high to try and deflect the blade inside Edelgard's hand.

But instead of the pain of a sharp knife through his armour, he felt its weight resting inside his hand as Edelgard backed away from him. His mind couldn't keep up with his body as he let go of the knife, the sound of steel hitting his ears as he started to realise what had happened.

Still confused, he tried to reach out to her, Edelgard being just barely out of reach before he let his arm lower down.

"El…?"

Her cold stare softened as she took a deep breath, life returning to her irises as she gathered the strength to respond to him.

"Go on then! If you truly believe in such a corrupt system, which has hurt everyone - friends, family even - so much, then go ahead. Kill me right now, as I am not killing another person because of the Church again."

Her words took a moment to process in his head. Was she suggesting that he'd--?

"El there must be another way--"

"There is." Her tone was curt, but as she stretched out her hand it became more gentle. "Help me take down the Church, please, and let only the blood of the beast be wasted."

Only now did Dimitri realise the battle had almost ceased. Both armies had stopped upon seeing their leaders interact. While they would've each given their life to the cause of their leader, a silent agreement to see this surprising situation's resolution was shared among the soldiers. Weapons were lowered as people eagerly awaited his reply. He saw them looking at Edelgard and her outstretched hand of acceptance - maybe even of forgiveness.

Dimitri tightened his hand, thoughts rushing through his head as he tried to make sense of the situation.

Did she know who had caused the Tragedy, know who led his family into a death trap? Did she know about the last five years? Why hadn't she reached out to him then? Why, after years of war and the wasting of blood, did she come to him now?

He felt conflicted about it; the knife on the ground was lying perfectly before him. He could grab it and end this in one quick motion, but something - some thought - was holding him back.

As he tried to make up his mind, he saw someone walking forward from the corner of his eye. He looked up, the bright red of Sylvain's hair meeting his eyes, before he realised where Sylvain was walking towards.

"Sylvain?" he pleaded.

"This has been going on long enough. I know what the Church did to my family… I don't want that to happen to anyone else's." His words stung as bad as when he saw the dark blue hue of Felix's hair walk after him, both quietly being welcomed by the Black Eagles.

He saw Ingrid walk over as well, grabbed in a tight hug by Dorothea Arnault as they reached each other. He saw Ashe come to the front and welcome his old friends as Annette and Mercedes found each other again after years of being apart.

Dimitri felt his eyes sting, the pain and joy of reunion overwhelming him as his head started to pound. A hand was placed on his shoulder, making him turn in an instant, only to see his greatest friend standing there in the rays of the sun coming through the clouds. "Pardon me, Your Majesty, I didn't mean to startle you. I just wish to say one thing."

The King slowly nodded, trying to hold back his tears of joy as he waited for the words Dedue wanted to tell him.

"If you truly wanted to kill her, Your Majesty, I believe you would've done so already." And as the words settled in, Dedue stepped back to give room to the waiting Emperor.

Edelgard held out her hand once again. "I believe together, we can change this world for the better."

The soft tones of her voice reminded him of the past, Edelgard's tiny voice making him promise to always stay together.

He sighed, a feeble attempt of a smile on his lips before taking his stepsister's hand.

Immediately, she pulled him into a hug, strong arms surrounding him as Edelgard's choked words entered his ears.

"Thank you for believing in me."


End file.
